German Ideology by Louis Dumont From France to Germany and Back

In this comparative anthropological analysis, Louis Dumont illuminates German and French ideology, European culture, and cultural interaction. His analysis of texts by Troeltsch, Thomas Mann, Goethe, and others, against the background of previously gathered evidence and of French common notions, specify the differences—otherwise frequently but vaguely alluded to—between French and German cultures.

Anyone interested in the fate of national ideology and the concept of the individual will benefit from this radical reinterpretation of modern values and the place of modernity in history.

"What François Furet did for French history, Dumont did for anthropology, turning it away from engaged politics and towards the sober study of the modern age." —Mark Lilla, London Review of Books

"There are many fine things in Dumont's study. Beyond any doubt, his cultural anthropology of the modern spirit highlights some of the key energies of the of the last two centuries. . . . [An] impressive . . . detailed analysis." —Martin Swales, Times Higher Education Supplement

Before his death in 1999 Louis Dumont was Professor at the Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales in Paris. By far the most influential of Indian anthropologists who have worked on India, Dumont's work is mandatory for all students of Indian anthropology.

Unrated Critic Reviews for German Ideology

London Review of Books

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